


The Dream SMP

by Kichugi



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Explicit Language, Frenemies, Monsters, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Spoilers, Universe Alteration
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-15 09:55:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28561641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kichugi/pseuds/Kichugi
Summary: A story in which I take the Dream SMP VODS on Tommy’s channel, overanalyse them and then add my own touches on top of that in order to have things make more sense in the overarching plot.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, TommyInnit & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	1. Overwhelm

**Author's Note:**

> A note beforehand where I state that everything written will be about the characters within the Dream SMP and the events that take place; not the people who act as them.

A distant ache erupted from beneath Tommy’s skin as he finally willed himself to a stop, all but collapsing onto the hard hearth bellow as a relieved sigh toppled his figure, ankles far too swollen to protest.

Everything hurt, from the tips of blistered toes to the ends of glistening hair, some of which stuck to his reddened face as the boy gasped, drinking in as much air his body could allow while cobalt eyes screwed tightly shut.

The pain was expected, of course it was, he had been walking for who knows how long now- a couple of weeks? A month or two? Yeah, that seemed about it. And that’s not even mentioning the places he’d traveled within that time frame; for goodness sake, he had just climbed a whole-ass mountain after all! It would be strange if he wasn’t about to pass out after all that.

Just thinking about the journey made his back throb, the pain willing him to roll over in an attempt to cozy up to the unyielding ground below and remedy his sores. Yet strangely enough, the sharp pinpricks delivered through uncut grass only proved to be more of a pain. Who figured?

“Ugh- this is so unfair!" Came a muffled whine from behind clasped hands as Tommy curled into himself, cringing at the awkward way his clothes creased and stuck to his skin.

"I could be there already but no ‘I am Dream and I am a bitch! Oh look at me, I made an SMP and shit, but if you want to join you better come and find me! Because I’m too lazy to make a map!’” The blond’s pitch rose, something shrill and distasteful to the ears as he mocked the man in question. "Yeah because everyone wants to join your SMP don’t they? Fuckin’ prick.."

It was hypocritical, certainly; Tommy had dropped everything to search for Dream after all- and he didn’t even know the man personally! He’d just heard of him here and there every now and again.. constantly every second of every minute whenever he went anywhere near town.

Yeah, that’s right, as much as Tommy liked to deny it, Dream was somewhat.. No, Dream was VERY famous amongst the general public, for reasons both good and bad, it would be strange if you didn’t know his name.

And all because what? Because Dream had broken several world records, climbed up to first place on all the leaderboards worldwide, gathered an army of fans, and was now on the run? "Dickhead." 

Clearly, Tommy was ever so slightly hung up over being overshadowed so quickly, especially when he was finally starting to gather a following.

"It’s not fair, because if it was fair, then he’d be running to *my* SMP, and then when he actually gets there I’d say ‘no, you are green, and green is not a good color. Change it.’" That thought tugged at Tommy’s lips, forcing a chuckle out of him at the idea. Yeah, that would show Dream who was boss, who even called themselves Dream anyway? 

But even the little enjoyment that thought delivered him was short-lived, for as he pulled himself up into a sitting position, the distant glimmer of something hiding behind a tree made itself all too apparent.

His watcher; it was quite possibly one of the stupidest things he’d ever laid eyes on, blabbering on about this and that even when he didn’t ask it to broadcast anything, he was sure it just spoke for the sake of annoying him sometimes.

With a forceful sigh, Tommy supposed he should at least try to put the thing in a positive light- he was one of the few to actually have one after all! 

You only really got a watcher if you completed some epic quest and jumped up the leaderboard, that way if your name was well-known they could broadcast your feats to people all across the globe! And they could even send you money for it if you were popular enough — not that it was useful for anything except garnering more audience for attention. The way the world worked was cruel, but it was bearable. 

Money.. Damn it, if his watcher was capable of teleporting money from half a world away, then why couldn’t it do something useful and teleport him to Dream instead? Or at least hand over something worth eating! And that was when the empty feeling in his stomach made itself all too apparent, grumbling loudly to make a point.

Fingers clutched at his abdomen as Tommy shot a glare at the watcher, who currently hid behind a distant tree trunk, silhouette poorly concealed due to the gentle glow emitted from its portly body, painting elongated shadows some ways away.

For a long moment, Tommy considered threatening the thing to transport some food, to shake it into submission and force it to hand something over- but he’d already had that conversation before, watchers couldn’t ‘carry something that heavy’. 

Too heavy my ass, if it couldn’t do that then how come it could store twice its own weight in that rounded gut of theirs? Sure it hadn’t been teleported, but if it could store several stacks of wood inside itself, logically it should be able to cough up something else too, right?

Hell, even a couple of grapes would do, at this point, he’d eat just about anything! Even the watcher if it came to it.. He decided to end that thought there before he did something he might regret. 

Glancing around, Tommy squinted as he absorbed it all, since when had it gotten this dark? It was midday when he sat down! He hadn’t wasted that much time just thinking had he? That wasn’t like him at all, ask anybody, they always loved to rant about how stupid he was, whether it stung a little or not, because apparently, others thought Tommy ‘wasn’t the thoughtful type.’ 

Oh, he hadn’t been thinking, Tommy realized as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes in a subconscious daze; he’d fallen asleep. 

That thought physically weighed him down a little, but what really tugged at his heart that moment was the realization that he’d almost definitely caught up to Dream a while back, he had been following his footsteps for a hot minute after all- in fact, that was the whole reason he decided to take a break in the first place! There was no use confronting a man with that much presence while looking like he’d been dragged through a bush and back. 

But now.. Well, after getting lost in his exhaustion induced daydreaming, the tracks Tommy had been following were hours old by now, which probably meant that Dream was halfway across the country at that point, or even in his SMP already, knowing him.

A heavy sigh rippled Tommy’s figure as he rubbed at heavy-lidded eyes. Damn it, why’d he decide to take a break? Maybe if he’d just dealt with his ailments and continued on like he was supposed to, he’d already caught up to Dream- With this much distance between them and not the slightest idea as to where the SMP started and ended, Tommy was left without so much as a leg to stand on; a weak little boy lost in the shrubbery simply because ‘his legs hurt too much.’ God, he was overdramatic. 

That thought was what grated him the most, the implication that he was simply too weak to have continued on, because Tommy Innit was many things: a self-proclaimed ‘huge man’ being one, and a rightfully dubbed ‘British Gremlin’ being another, but if there was one thing he wasn’t, one thing he downright refused to be- it was a weakling. Well that and a bitch, that title belonged to Dream and Dream alone. 

“Well not really, mans surrounded by bitches, but you know.” Tommy voiced, his brain not catching up to his words until several seconds later when hearty laughter tore through his figure. Nah, he really shouldn’t worry that much, worrying was for pussies, and did Tommy Innit look like a pussy to you? 

So with newfound confidence, Tommy groped around in the dark, hands outstretched as he ambled here and there in search of a tree to lean against in his time of need, one that preferably wasn’t covered in weird fungi and smelt like piss like everything else in the surrounding area, because something about the forest’s air wasn’t exactly pleasant to the senses.. 

Though as the boy pulled himself up on a nearby branch, his face fell upon the realization that it probably wasn’t the trees that smelt so bad, but rather the clothes he so lovingly adorned. “Eugh, that’s fucki-“

“TOMMY!” The sudden interjection drew a sharp yelp from the boy as he tripped over himself, heart jittering in his chest as wide eyes twisted this way and that, trying to pinpoint who and where the sound originated from in poorly smothered shock. 

“D-Dream?” Tommy cursed the way his voice stammered and sought to puff out his chest in some pathetic attempt to intimidate whoever may have been watching, mind only just making sense of where he might have recognized that voice from.

“Obviously, now first things first, welcome to the Dream SMP’s spawnpoint, I’m sure you know what that is right?” Obviously, what good adventurer didn’t know? It was basic knowledge to even simple-minded villagers- hey, was Dream trying to imply something here? 

“Yeah, it’s all magical and shit, so if you die you get teleported there.” A hum echoed from somewhere behind him, seemingly satisfied with the answer received and definitely not causing Tommy to spin around in fright, so focused on trying to locate Dream that the thought of asking him where Dream knew his name from simply never came up. “Okay so if this is the Spawnpoint, that means this is the SMP, and that means you’re that dickhead who keeps passing me and shit!”

“Oh Tommy, I already said that, didn’t I? Just beyond this forest, you’ll meet me and everyone else that’s arrived in the SMP, this place is only the entrance.” Judging based on something as simple as the way Dream spoke, Tommy had already decided that the smile in Dream’s voice was something he’d take much enjoyment in wiping off- if he could see it that was, for it took Tommy several long moments of him hopelessly looking around before he properly analyzed just what had been said.

“Huh? What do you meet ‘meet you’, so you’re not here?” Instantly the rigid posture he had taken deflated, arms falling back down to his sides and burying deep into back pockets. “So what am I talking to then? You better not be trolling me Dream.” 

Bemused laughter echoed throughout the dark as Tommy continued to glance around, still not one hundred percent certain on whether to take the other’s words seriously or not. “Of course not, I’m speaking to you through your watcher; that’s how I know where you are right now too.” 

A small ‘oh’ sounded as Tommy turned to find the watcher hovering closer to him. “I knew that.”

“Sure you did Tommy.” Came yet another laugh from the other side, and as Tommy began making his way through the forest (squinting desperately in the moonlight and only occasionally tripping over stray roots) he decided that Dream’s laugh resembled a kettle’s whistle a bit too well. 

“I know I did dickhead.” And from then on, there was silence, whether it was because Dream heard Tommy’s grumbling or not didn’t matter to him at the time, because even the crunch of his own footfall was better than Dream’s voice, despite the way his ankles rubbed painfully against the backs of worn-out shoes.

Who did that guy think he was anyway? Mr rough and tough out here acting all high and mighty, trying to scare him like that and playing it off like it was incidental, he was what Tommy would like to call ‘a real piece of work’, it was almost a mystery as to how Dream had made such a public inflection when he made such horrible first impressions, especially to someone like himself.

That thought in mind was what kept Tommy moving throughout it all, the mere idea of showing that man who the *real* top adventurer was when he finally found out where Dream was hiding putting a spring in his step. Well, that and the plethora of mobs echoing from somewhere behind him.

It was only really when he heard something growl from not too far away that Tommy realized just how vulnerable he truly was, at least with Tubbo he had someone to help deflect the blows with- or use as a human shield if things turned too far south. 

“Tubbo..” A frown pulled tightly at Tommy’s face at the thought; if only he hadn’t suggested they both take different routes sometime back at the forest’s opening, maybe then he wouldn’t have had to track an entire mountainside by himself and he could have actually had some company along the way, or even something to eat — Tubbo was always prepared for situations like this, he was the wiser of the two after all; always one step ahead in the possibility of an emergency. 

But now wasn’t a time to mourn about the ‘what ifs,’ negative thinking never helped him before and it certainly wouldn’t help now, besides, Tubbo might have already been there right? Yeah, Dream *did* hint towards the possibility of some other people already waiting there after all. 

“Hey Dream,” Tommy spoke up after a while, pulling his watcher close as he willed it to whisper to Dream, and while he wasn’t exactly sure how it worked, he wasn’t going to make a fool of himself and ask the watcher either, that would just put another victory between them. “Is there a guy named Tubbo with you?”

A couple of seconds passed with no reply as Tommy swallowed down harsh words and forced himself to wait, yet as time ticked steadily by with still no response, Tommy shook his watcher slightly as he contemplated whether or not Dream had actually heard him, ignoring the creature’s grumbles of protest as he trekked forth with rising impatience. 

“Oi Dream.” The blond quizzed once more, tone rising as though it would better the other’s hearing. “You’re not messing with me are you?” Still, no response, no sign of anything really until several seconds later, when Tommy was weaving this way and that, batting off brambles as they clung to loose fabric.

“Hey are you even listen-“ 

“Tubbo did you say? No sorry, he’s not here.” The sudden interruption caused Tommy to hiss as he swiftly retracted his hand from one of the spikes that hooked onto the rim of his shirt, scowling as blood beaded to the surface and glimmered under dappled moonlight. 

A flurry of curses and extravagant words simultaneously burst to life and fell flat on his tongue as Dream’s words settled in, irritation giving way to frustrated grumbling as he sucked on the injury, disappointment evident even in his silence. 

So Tubbo really wasn’t there then? Shit, at the time it seemed like the smarter option to split up and take both paths when they first saw the fork in the road, they even made a bet on who would get there first— but even the idea of bragging to Tubbo’s audience didn’t seem all that worth it in consideration to how long it would take for Tubbo to circle back and take Tommy’s route, it had taken half a week by itself, let alone the added time of his friend’s, and that’s not even considering the possibility he was hurt. 

Apparently even Dream picked up on his silent mourning, as after a while, he spoke up again, voice light and oddly cheery in contrast to the foreboding atmosphere that came with being lost in the dead of night. “Tubbo might not be here, but there are some other people you might like to meet?”

Now it was his turn to pause, chewing on the backs of his bloodied thumb, as he pointed his watcher this way and that with the opposing hand, using the light radiating from it as some sort of flashlight while he thought. “..Oh yeah, like who?” 

“There’s Sapnap, you’ve heard of him, right? Him and George came here with me.” Had he ‘heard of Sapnap?’ The mere memory of the man’s smug face caused Tommy’s own to turn sour at the memory, thumb lowering from his mouth as he crudely folded his arms over his chest, allowing the watcher to bob along beside him to its own accord. 

“Yeah, I’ve heard of Sapnap alright.” Flashes of their previous encounters came to the forefront of his mind as he relived it all. 

Unfortunately, their meeting hadn’t been pleasant the first time, in fact, it hadn’t been pleasant anytime they bumped into each other really; they were always seen arguing over this and that any time they met up, and for whatever reason it may be, fate had decided that their routes would constantly cross paths, never allowing the other to stray too far without some form of interaction between one another. 

It started out with an accidental mix-up in an overbooked motel, where the staff had assigned both adventurers the same room pending their arrival. Now such a mistake seemed rather minor at the time, they both had the necessary materials to camp out if need be, yet something about the way Sapnap was certain he’d receive the room over Tommy just rubbed him the wrong way. 

Few petty words were exchanged, which developed into a heated argument and even into the beginnings of a brawl.. Which inevitably got them both kicked out that night, the room being taken by some villager right before their eyes.

From then on, they argued over smaller things, like wanting to take on the same quest but not wanting to split the earnings, or fighting over who would get what sword when they bumped into each other at the blacksmith’s, or even over what town’s they were most well known in (that argument resulted in their mothers’ honor every time it was brought up, each insult slung becoming increasingly vulgar as time passed).

It was a sad sight really, the likelihood of meeting up as constantly as they used to was rather slim considering how unplanned it was, so it really was a shame they spent the time fighting instead of becoming allies as they should do. To outsiders anyway — to them it was just the usual, that’s that. 

“Remove Sapnap. I haven’t seen him since he joined up with you and I want to keep it that way.” And it was true, ever since the man first made his appearance on the big screen beside the soon to be dubbed ‘Dream Team’, Tommy found he’d been meeting up with Sapnap less and less. Whether the reason why dug under the blond’s skin or not didn’t matter, because either way it meant Tommy didn’t have to see that jerk any longer than the broadcasts demanded he did.

“You know I can’t do that as well as I do, besides, if we kicked him out now he would probably go tell everyone where the SMP is, that’s more of a problem then just a small grudge, right?” Dream quizzed, causing Tommy to huff while he took note of the gradually thinning plantation as the evening ticked steadily by; heavy twilight making way for deep reds and lighter blues as their colors tainted the oncoming horizon. 

“Well, I don’t see the problem. You can just stop him, can’t you? Yeah, you’ve got one of them hundred IQs and shit. Or was that just the ‘Dreamers’ bigging you up?” Tommy half-joked, listening in as Dream thought his words over, seemingly taking his taunting seriously. 

“I could but that’s still not fair, he passed the investigation just like you or Ponk or Alyssa did.” What? Investigation? That was the first time he’d heard or anything like that, but the more he thought about it, the more sense it made: If Dream really was as popular as he was made out to be, there would be tones of people out there trying to track him down, weirdos and all, so it would make sense to have *some* level of protection set in place.

“Yeah, but who’s Ponk and Alyssa? Ponk. That’s a weird name, how come they passed the investigation if I’ve never heard of them?” Ponk. He repeated the name under his breath, testing out how it sounded and scrunching up his face accordingly, no, it just didn’t have a nice ring to it. 

“Just because you haven’t heard of them, doesn’t mean that they’re not good enough to join the SMP; the world doesn’t just revolve around Tommy Innit.” Dream said, and for a moment, the teen considered it. 

Tommy watched the grass slowly melt away to lighter shades as the trees dissipated around him, biting his tongue meanwhile as he sparingly looked around, gaze narrowing under the sudden biting chill that came from the lack of foliage shielding him from the wind.

“Yeah you’re right, it doesn’t, because if it did the world would be a much better place. I’d call it ‘Tommytopia’ and only I’d be allowed in.” It.. Well, it didn’t really make much sense if you thought about his words for long enough, that much was made apparent through the silence that followed said sentence; it appeared Dream had decided to leave him on ‘read’ again, but Tommy simply shrugged it off and continued on.

“Your loss, not mine.” The boy murmured to himself, staring off into murky depths as his journey ended at the base of a dormant lake. 

At first, he wasn’t quite sure why he stopped, the lake was hardly a problem; if he hiked up his pants he could easily push through it without so much as batting an eye — yet the longer he gazed at his own rippled reflection, the more it hurt to stare back at himself, all the imperfections that came with trekking so far suddenly creeping up into the forefront of his mind, further and further until finally it clicked. “No way- I look like shit!”

In an instant the boy fell to his knees, hands cupped together and desperately splashing the pooled liquid onto his face, shuddering as clumps of muck and grim melded together before finally collapsing through his hands, the distant sting of his finger’s reopening cut being brutally stamped out by the overwhelming disgust for how he’d allowed himself to enter such a state. 

“Nonono! How am I going to impress women when I look homeless? God knows what I do to homeless peo-“ A cough from somewhere above alerted Tommy that he wasn’t alone, drawing his attention from the stray leaves he shook from his hair, to the appearance of a familiar figure reflecting off the water below as they peered over his shoulder.

Gulping, Tommy paused for a moment in an attempt to recollect where he had indeed seen that face from, weighing out whether or not he should care for first appearances when met with such a strange expression.

Brown hair, pale skin, awkward smile.. To be honest, that description fit a rather lot of people Tommy knew, but the very moment his eyes fell on those wide framed goggles of his, all became perfectly clear; he’d seen that mug one too many times on the big screen to simply ‘forget it’ after all. 

“..Places to go, people to see.” Tommy exclaimed, giving his reflection one last once over before rising from his seat and quickly wadding through the water, not caring in that particular moment about the way his socks now clung uncomfortably so to his feet, so long as he put some distance between himself and George, it wouldn’t matter.

Dear Lord, so much for trying to make a ‘good first impression’ when THE Georgenotfound had just seen him practically bathing in some dirty old river! The mere idea of what the other must have thought causing Tommy to grit his teeth in an attempt to wane his impending headache. 

Of all the people to mess up around it had to be George, the third member of the Dream Team and arguably one of the most celebrated, especially among those of higher ranking. In fact, George’s connections with other adventurers and his public figure often granted him a special status among the lower ranking, as even without taking into account those he had aided in his past quests, just saying you *knew* the man was enough to get you out of trouble for the most part.

And no, Tommy wasn’t ashamed to admit he had exploited that one small detail in the past, despite never actually having seen him in person before- well he knew Sapnap who knew George, so really what was much of a difference? You could try debating it, but it wasn’t like he’d care so long as nothing came of it.

Speaking of George, as Tommy cast a fleeting glance over his shoulder, he could see the man standing there, mouth slightly agape as he watched the taller dart away, seemingly dumbstruck by the other as his head slowly alternated between the river and Tommy’s retreating figure.

“Hey, wait, come back!” George called out several footsteps too late, for when his brain finally kicked into gear and the man began chasing after Tommy’s silhouette the boy was already too far gone; even the great Georgenotfound couldn’t see in the dark after all.

So it was almost excusable when the man froze dead in his tracks and turned tail, patting down his clothes in what Tommy assumed to be either some strange dance, or a search for something he may have lost beforehand. 

Not that he could tell the difference between the two really, for while the dark aided Tommy in some sense, it also hindered him the very same way, not that he could complain though, because sure, that was embarrassing, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t recover from after all. 

Or at least, that was what Tommy tried to convince himself as he circled back around in search of a place to hide in wait so as to spare any remaining dignity he had left and potentially clean himself up. 

“What, does everyone just live in trees or some shit? Where’s all the good stuff at?" Tommy huffed, backtracking for a moment in hopes he had overlooked something in his hurry before locking eyes with a distant shape, and while its features were slightly blurred, its overall figure was easily discernible against the various lanterns strung against it’s front; it was a house.

Perfect. Tommy’s eyes lit up as he made a bee-line in that direction, the beginnings of a plan culminating in the backs of his mind while he weaved through the various bamboo shoots scattered around the home’s front: okay so what was he working with? 

The architecture was littered with greenery, from the beginnings of moss creeping across open windows to the spread of wheat that painted its front garden, and judging from the fact their front doors had been left wide open, there was a distant possibility that someone was currently inside. Not that it would be a problem if there was any way, for surely anyone with half a heart would open up their home upon seeing him in such a state, right? 

It was only then that Tommy decided to slow his pace to no more than a casual stroll as he pushed up the front steps, taking care to try and muffle the slight squelch of his shoes against oak paneling, for if someone actually was inside, he sincerely doubted they’d like to be stormed in on by someone who looked like they’d been begging for scraps off the streets. 

“Hello?” His voice called out as he cautiously stepped through the front doors, moving to shut them, only to stop dead in his tracks at the sight of a horse staring him down, glassy brown eyes weighing his soul in an uncomfortable period of prolonged eye-contact, while it’s pearlescent tail flicked irritably in the background. 

“I uh- Hi.” Tommy coughed into the backs of his hand while the horse continued to eye him up. This peculiar staring contest continued on for several long heartbeats before said horse gently lowered it’s head, turning away from Tommy and instead toward’s his watcher, who met its gaze with a mutual intensity. 

“This is just getting weirder and weirder.” The blond proclaimed, taking note of the rope collar attached to the horse’s harness as he tried shuffling past the bulk of it and into what he assumed to be the main living area, instantly zoning in on the glass paneling that tiled the ground bellow. 

There were fish swimming beneath him, Tommy realized as crouched down to gather a closer look at their florescent coloring as he pressed his hands against them. “What if the horse stood over here and shit? The glass would cave in and you’d all just implode.” Brows knitted together as he tapped the glass’s surface, trying to determine just how thick it was and cringing at the smudged handprints he’d left behind. 

“‘S not my problem.” Tommy quickly glanced around before trying to wipe the print off, only proving to spread the damage further while he grumbled to himself. Well, he tried, and with that he rose back up and shuffled through the home, peering in through the doorways in an attempt to find whoever lived there. 

In and out, in and out, yet no matter where he looked the only other sign of life came from the muffled bubbling of water down bellow, in what Tommy supposed was the underground fish tank. It was only when he really stood and thought about the words ‘underground fish tank’ and the fact there was a live horse in the hallway, did he realise how potentially rich the owner actually was. 

Well that and insane. ‘Fish floorboards,’ now that just sounded downright stupid.

“Hello? Hello? Anyone in here?” He waited for a moment in hopes of a response, or at least directions to the nearest bathroom so as to clean up, yet after only receiving the horse’s distant nickering in response, Tommy finally decided to straighten up, face drooping monetarily before a smirk took its place.

If nobody was home, that meant that he had free roam, right? And by further extension, anything within said home would temporarily be his, all until the actual owner revealed themselves and came back. “OI! If you don’t want me to ‘borrow’ your stuff speak up!” 

And of course, when nobody did, Tommy instantly dove for the nearest chest, rummaging through the items with reckless abandon, I mean, Tommy probably needed it more than them anyway, so it wasn’t like he felt bad about it. In a way he was like Robbin Hood, stealing from the rich to give to the poor! Except he wasn’t *exactly* poor; he was just a freeloader. 

“Wheat seeds, wheat seeds.. poisonous potato, even more wheat seeds, wheat seeds again..” The blond murmured under his breath, face scrunching up further and further with each item he sifted through, not caring in anyway for what a mess he’d be leaving behind in his ‘visit’, nor the slight creak of floorboards behind him as something padded over, as he had much more pressing matters to focus on- Like the bread he’d totally just scored. 

“Oh my fuck- the holy grail!” Tommy beamed at the sight of it, turning the loaf over in his hands and relishing the scent it exuded; slightly off, but in comparison to everything else he’d had to undergo the last couple weeks, it was practically handpicked by God himself. “Got weird green shit on, but people like Dream and he’s green, so how bad can it be?” 

And the answer to that question would forever be unknown, for the moment Tommy went to bite down on it, a sharp pain protruded over the backs of his skull as something deflected off of him and landed (still spinning) over the roof of Tommy’s chest. 

Wincing at the feeling, the boy didn’t hold back any harsh words as his bread-free hand steadied the weapon in question, holding it in place and dragging it up to eye level for proper inspection. It was a seed by the way, indistinguishable out of its packaging, but still strongly recognisable as one of the very many Tommy had thrown behind him in his search. 

Reasonable deduction, reasonable deduction. And so by that very same thought process, that must have meant someone took said seed out of its packaging purely to throw it at him, right? Well in that case, he’d just have to fire back ten times harder and show them what for, nobody messes with TommyInnit after all. 

“Hey dickhead! I wouldn’t do that if I were you, I’m good friends with Georgenotfound and if he heard you were harassing me, oh you don’t want to know what he’d do, because if you did than- Then I- Then I uh..” As Tommy whirled around in a heated blaze of smug ingenious, he could have sworn he saw Jesus himself staring back at him as everything he had ever done wrong flashed before his eyes, and trust me, it a long-ass flashback. 

“Then what? Go on, I want to hear what I’d do.” Sure, now maybe Jesus was a little shorter and a lot more colorblind than Tommy remembered, but in that moment none of that mattered, as standing right there in front of him in all his glory was Georgenotfound in the flesh: half-opened bag of seeds at his feet, and crackling torch in his offhand, the light illuminated from which perfectly framing the way his head quirked in faux curiosity. “You know, because I heard that we’re now friends and all.”


	2. Consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy realises that the Dream SMP may not be all it’s cracked up to be.

“You know since we’re friends now and all.” It took Tommy a long while to truly wrap his head around the situation at hand, eyes wide and breath baited as he stumbled over the sudden flurry of thoughts buzzing around in his mind, all too aware of the knowing look framed beyond those stupid looking goggles, warning the boy to debate his next words carefully lest something bad were to happen.

“Well, I- uh..” The blond took that moment to evaluate any potential escape routes, gaze darting here and there as he tried to recall all the exits found during his previous ‘investigation’ with a grim resignation to the fact his best bet was to try darting past George and return back to the horse — but upon seeing the dagger attached firmly to the shorter’s hip Tommy quickly disregarded that idea. 

George probably wouldn’t take too kindly if Tommy just up and stole his horse, and while the boy normally wouldn’t care, the fact that the only weapon he had at hand was some rotten loaf of bread and the man apprehending him was just one of *the biggest names* among adventurers right now, you know, Tommy didn’t feel like pissing the guy off just yet. 

“..Well you know.” For once Tommy was at a loss with what to do in order to escape this weird scenario; I mean he usually had two options, run or brag about how he was friends with someone important, and considering that was the whole reason the boy was in that situation in the first place, I hope you could understand why he would seem hesitant to do it again. 

“Uh-huh, well what do I know?” 

“Well, you just know. I wouldn’t though because I’m not you, I’m like you, but I’m more-“ George leaned in slightly, eyebrow quirked as he watched Tommy choke back his words, mouth rapidly moving despite the lack of voice following up with the foundation laid down. 

“Go on?” The boy gaped for a moment, hands flailing around in search of the right phrasing before moving up to brush aside knotted strands of hair, hopelessly trying to comb his fingers through it, as though doing that would help ease the tension forming around them. Or rather the tension that formed around Tommy, because George seemed a little too amused by the display at hand- that realization being what spurred Tommy out of his distant rambling and back into his right mind. 

“No- no I don’t think I will. I mean, you already know,” The blond reassured the shorter, eyes fruitlessly jittering around before landing on the backs of George’s hand as it curled around the torch extended to his side, the light illuminated reflecting off the face of a watch the boy didn’t know George owned. “Wow, would you look at the time!” Tommy’s hands shot out to pull George’s wrist closer, evaluating the watch’s face for the fraction of a second before he seamlessly slipped the torch out of the burnet’s grip, instead holding it out of reach. 

“Hey what’re you- stop stealing my things, and clean this house up; this is Alyssa’s stuff, not yours. How do you think she’ll feel when she finds you’ve greased the place up?” Some semblance of embarrassment rose to the surface of Tommy’s skin for a moment at that jab towards his hygienic state, it wasn’t like him to be ashamed of such a thing but it was different when George called him out on it.

“Wait, who’s house? This isn’t yours?” Tommy cleared his throat so as to recollect his cool before scrutinizing the place again, making sense of all the abnormalities behind his conception with a muted hum. 

“What? No, I live somewhere else,” George replied, so blatantly leaving out the important details in an attempt to avoid being raided, yet in doing so it appeared he had sacrificed someone else judging by the strange expression on Tommy’s face as he continued to look around, seemingly absorbing the house’s semblance.

“HEY WHAT WAS THAT? Dream is that you!?” Tommy called out, beckoning his watcher closer with his eyes and letting out a sigh of relief as it flew to his side. “Woah, would you look at that? Dream messaged me saying he needs to meet up! Well, you know how it is being famous and all, nice meeting you but I gotta go.” Tommy gestured loosely to his watcher’s stomach, a place that if there had indeed been a message, the words would lay- so naturally, when George leaned in to see it Tommy stepped in between the two so as to obscure his vision. 

“Sorry, tight squeeze you know?” Tommy shrugged, acting oblivious to the incredulous look delivered to him at such an idea, considering he was more than capable to hold the stolen torch comfortably or so at an arms range as he continued to stroll towards the door, steps similar to that of a leisurely stroll despite the fact he was attempting to flee the situation at hand. 

“What do you mean? Are you actually leaving me here? I’m not cleaning this up you know.” George reached forward, fingers stretching themselves tightly around Tommy’s wrist in an attempt to keep him rooted in place, much to the younger’s dismay.

“What’s your problem man? Let go already! Alyssa probably has hands, she can do it herself,” Tommy desperately tugged his wrist away from George’s, heels digging into the ground with an irritant squeak. “Or I hope she does, this would be very awkward if she doesn’t- Just to clarify, she does have hands right? Don’t want to be toxic, y’know?”

Tommy chuckled halfheartedly in response to the falter in George’s expression, taking such an opportunity to snatch his hand away and instead distance themselves with the torch’s heat as he brought it between them, waving it tauntingly in some kind of warning. “What are you even talking about!?” 

“Whether I’m being toxic or not, keep up man, you acting like you got ghosts in your head or something.” [ ][]

“Stop making phrases up, you’re not making any-“ Tommy didn’t wait for the shorter to finish his sentence and instead made a break for the door, slipping through its entryway with stumbled grace as he then turned to slam it shut before wedging the torch precariously between the cracks found there in a spur of the moment lock- just in time too if the violent rattling released into the night air had anything to say. 

“Hey, hey! I’d stop that if I were you, the torch might catch this place on fire if you don’t, and then Alyssa will have you to blame, not me!” It was only when the door’s shaking stopped that Tommy truly realized what genius he had trapped within that mind of his, a wide grin making itself known on tightened lips as he thought it all over. “Yeah, I’m somewhat of a Dreamer myself.”

Yet even as the boy giggled to himself, a distant twinge of regret pulled away at his insides, rooting itself deep within his heart. He had meant to impress George after all, not make an enemy of the man; it was all Tommy could hope that the other would be merciful enough to not spread what happened to the general public in fear of all the free meals he would be missing out on for making an enemy of the world’s dearly beloved. 

But something told Tommy that such a prayer was simply too much to ask for, so in spite of himself, the teen in-took a deep, calming breath before moving onwards — there was no point cleaning up anymore after this whole George fiasco, so he might as well look around.

Worn shoes dragged themselves across the deck’s wooden paneling before shifting enough so that Tommy could drift down the slope’s greenery with practiced ease, minding not for the various flora he may have trodden in the process. I mean, if someone planted flowers in an open area it was kind of asking for a trodding after all, maybe that would teach them to be more careful next time, right? 

Yet still, Tommy attempted to straighten some of the flattened buds, head tilting awkwardly as he readjusted various fluorescent reds and blues, somewhat admiring the way such colors clashed against the home’s cold exterior with a distant hum, the sound of which caught in the backs of his throat. 

Because of course Tommy would help out with such a thing, despite his outward appearance he could be thoughtful sometimes, even if he was the need for such kindness in the first place, he was a charitable guy, right? 

Or maybe what the boy was doing wasn’t actually out of kindness, but instead for a sense of unnerve that crept up his back, causing the hairs found there to stand on end as he bit his tongue. Tommy was certain something was watching. 

Now it could have been the guilt towards the idea Alyssa was without her hands (George had never denied such a theory), or maybe it was the fact something was off about her house? Looking up, Tommy made sure to double-check the exterior with one last sweeping glance, eyes scanning over its front more firmly than before.

The doors were slammed tightly shut, groaning slightly as the wind rattled its hinges but nothing quite so vigorous it could be due to human interaction, so then Tommy turned to the torch- that was still there too, its light casting a warm glow even such ways down the hill as Tommy, illuminating the way mildew dampened stomped out petals into a muddied tangle of grass bellow. That couldn’t be it either, so maybe it was the windows? 

On the first floor, the windows remained firmly in place, unyielding to the sky reflecting off glassy faces- but wait, were the second-floor windows *always open*? Tommy considered it for a long moment, fingers busying themselves with stripping away stray leaves from keeled flora. “Nah it’s fine, it was dark so I just didn’t know. How am I meant to see little details like that?”

With all the boy’s worrying, the moment a sudden screech sounded from the distant beyond, Tommy instantly jumped into action, spinning to look behind him and only narrowly avoiding the bite of a phantom; its ragged wings beating harshly at his side and tearing at the flesh found there, drawing a sharp hiss from between gritted teeth. 

So that’s why he was on edge; it was those stupid phantoms again. 

Phantoms were wretched creatures, they skulked around in the dark and crowded the sun something morbid. Picking their prey apart, they segregated those weakened enough with fatigue that they couldn’t stand their ground and fight back, quite literally so as at times the things would grip onto your clothes and swarm into the air, picking away at the skin there piece by piece until you had no choice but to give in- only drawback was that they usually weren’t strong enough to do such a thing unless you were nearing death’s corner and- hey what exactly were these pricks implying?

“I already had a nap thank you! No contact needed right now, sorry!” Tommy called out, his free hand checking his side with a quick glance and a relieved sigh at the sight found there; nothing more than a few smudged pinpricks could be seen blurring the wound; a cut no deeper than a too-hard scratch. “I thought you were meant to be scary or some shit, but instead you’re just really fuckin’ ugly.”

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say as the phantom soon turned tail and began its descent back down to Earth and straight towards him, claws outstretched and beady almost glaring, seemingly offended by such a proclamation- if phantoms had feelings that was.

“Haha, miss me! You’ll have to do better than that!” Once again the phantom only narrowly just avoided sinking down onto the other, but instead of returning to the clouds to circle overhead, the creature swerved around and burrowed its teeth down into Tommy’s upper arm, tearing apart the sleeve with a disturbing amount of expertise. 

“Wait, wait, wait, you weren’t actually meant to do better than that! It was just a joke man.” Tommy yelped, batting away the phantom with pieces of the molding bread and watching as it crumbled to pieces beneath ragged talons in turn, harsh grip sinking into the thing as the phantom skulked away once more, grinding away the bread’s exterior until nothing more than stray crumbs remained. 

Tommy’s protested such a sight with an aggravated grumble, certainly, the bread wasn’t ideal but it had been the only thing he could find, so when seeing what once was his saving grace scatter apart at his feet Tommy felt his heart sink, fingers scrunching together. “Hey fuck you! I’ll make you regret that.”

Tommy lurched forwards, face scrunched up in nervous anticipation as his fists outstretched towards the phantom swirling from above, watching tentatively as the thing released a bloodcurdling screech before descending down upon him, hauntingly tangible when illuminated by the moonlight that trickled down upon the creature’s flesh.

There was a brief moment of contact between them, where vibrant green scanned over darkened blue only seconds before uncut talons extended to grip upon Tommy’s bare throat, twitching in anticipation for it all— it was only a split second that set apart the time in which Tommy ducked down low and elbowed the phantom something dazed, from when extended claws sunk around on the cold air, griping into its own figure. 

A sigh of relief found place in the night as Tommy watched the phantom fall still in the grass, eyes flickering around dumbly as it considered itself for a long moment, during which Tommy wasted no time in moving towards the phantom and out-stretching his leg to stomp upon it’s wings, hoping to finally put it out of commission. “Dumb bitch.”

Yet instead of the sickening crunch he had expected to sound upon stomping down on the phantom, the boy instead received his own squeal of alarm as instead it twisted around and wrapped itself around the boy’s foot, talons and teeth bared as wide eyes found no qualms in toppling Tommy over and onto the grass bellow, knocking the breath from his lungs.

“No let go- I said let go!” His leg shook with such force the boy was previously unacquainted to, swaying here and there in an attempt to rid the phantom from his form, yet with each crunch that fell beneath his leg, deeper and deeper did the phantom sink upon him, the beginnings of crimson trailing down marked skin.

“Help- help me- Help!” Tommy screamed, face paling as he scrambled around, searching for some kind of weapon he could use to fight back. Damn it why did he try to kill it with his bare hands? He wasn’t exactly new to adventuring so how stupid did he have to be? Tommy lamented his last decisions as he felt his leg spark with pain, burning sensation getting heavier and heavier until-

A sword pierced through the phantom’s wing, dampened with green gunk as the phantom flared up, emerald droplets dripping from its membrane as the monster was shirked off Tommy’s leg, the limbs that once stuck the two together now attempting to reach up and towards whoever the sword’s owner was, screeching something evil.

“Ew, you got my sword covered in your weird blood.” Tommy watched as the phantom was dragged down onto the ground next to him, flailing and squirming as a heavy boot was forced onto its flank, keeping it in place as the sword continued to pierce into it three more times before at last the air fell silent, the only sounds left being the shallow breathes Tommy drank in as he hugged his leg close, eyes squinting shut as he attempted to remain oblivious to the electricity that sparked through it.

At least that was until he felt a hand grip the back of his shirt, dragging Tommy up onto a sitting position despite the way Tommy protested, squirming away from the grip to his best ability. “Hey what do you think you’re doin-“ 

“No you don’t get to speak: you lock me in Alyssa’s house, threaten to burn it down and then get attacked by some phantom?” Tommy’s eyes drew themselves wide upon recognizing the hostility behind the voice at hand, gaze turning upwards and onto George’s face as the man leaned down low, meeting his glare with an exaggerated frown. “Oh and don’t think I didn’t see what you did to the flowers- you’ve ruined the terrain.” George let his grip fall slack on Tommy’s shirt in favor of gesturing loosely towards the field behind him. 

“Well, flowers are stupid anyway, all they do is sit on their asses and take up my walking space. It’s not my fault they were in the way.” A hand pinched the space above George’s goggles as the man took a moment to breathe, hands clenching and unclenching the sword by his side all the while he turned back around and began walking, taking care to wipe his blade’s edge against the grass in hopes of it manually cleaning off the residue still found there. “You can tell that to Dream when we meet him, hurry up and follow me.”

“Dream?” Tommy gulped down something bitter as he considered it for a moment; while Tommy certainly did take pleasure in criticizing the other in exchange for few cheap laughs, the boy would inwardly admit that it was different when Dream had something to pull over him- especially considering they were meeting face to face.

Shaking out of those thoughts, Tommy took a moment to gather his strength before attempting to push himself up off the floor, wincing at the way his leg seared at the sudden aggravation. “Hey, wait up! I’m kind of hurt back here.” Tommy scowled at his injury as George’s exasperated groan could be heard from somewhere ahead, frustrated in how he originally intended to shake Tommy’s injury off.

“Fine, just stop making everything so difficult; the quicker we get to Dream, the quicker you can fix your leg.” Tommy attempted to arise from his seat once again, biting back flurries of curse words all the while a pair of hands situated themselves beneath Tommy’s arms, inviting the other to lean against an uninviting shoulder, the armor found there digging into his side uncomfortably.

“What about food, is there anything to eat there at least? I’m hungry and it’s Dream’s fault I haven’t eaten yet.” Just by the way George shouldered the other forward, Tommy could tell the other’s clumsy way of dragging him forwards was less-so due to him being unused to helping another walk, and more so in fault of the steadily building exhaustion seeping into his figure, and judging by the witty retorts he was still able to conjure, such tiredness wasn’t simply fault of the night, and more so to the distaste towards the taller. 

“Yes, you can have something to eat when you get there.” 

The rest of the journey taken was filled with endless sighing and ceaseless questions as Tommy observed the surrounding area while they walked, even under dark’s disguise it appeared to be well-taken care off in consideration the SMP had only been announced to begin few months ago. The trees were intentionally placed to frame the whole layout, neatly decorating pathed stone and trodden grass as the path trailed far away into the distance, speckled with flora and other intricate detailing such as the occasional sign or fence post. 

Not that it would last long, Tommy mused, not if he had anything to say about it. What was the use of him going anywhere without delivering upon it his own special touch after all? It simply wasn’t the Tommy way.

All things considering, the journey wasn’t as long as Tommy had first been anticipating, it appeared that under the distant unnerve towards any potential phantom reencounters, any tumbling about had been kept to a minimal capacity as the two finally came to a stop upon meeting a wooden gateway. Though perhaps the lack of misguidance was more so due to Tommy’s current inability to act in his thoughts as opposed to the fear — or at least that’s what the boy convinced himself had happened.

“So, what’s this then?” Tommy questioned, bending awkwardly as George leaned forwards to unlock the gate before pushing the younger along with him, straightening up slightly in an attempt to stop the other from potentially wobbling off the path and into the depths that surrounded it; water glistening under the moonlight and reflecting the way Tommy’s eyes surveyed his surroundings as they moved forwards, slightly unnerved to the creaks that sounded from the flooring bellow with every lingering step. 

“It’s the Community House.” George hummed, gaze unwavering as only continued to stride forwards, seemingly unfazed by the screech that resounded overhead nor the way it made Tommy wince, eyes no longer scrutinizing the Community House’s  
brick exterior, but instead watching the sky, squinting in an attempt to uncover the phantom’s underbelly he was sure to find swarming somewhere up above. 

Not that he had a chance to really express any opinion on such creatures, for the very moment Tommy finally locked on to one of the beasts his body lurched forward, feet betraying him as he stumbled between an open doorway and onto the fresh flooring that now pressed firmly against his bruised side, face so close that he could almost smell the scent of freshly laid pine and petrichor alike. 

“George! You can’t just chuck Tommy in here like that, what if he died?” Came a voice Tommy instantly recognized, and even with the scolding tone the man took on, it was clear by his poorly smothered chuckle that his amusement towards Tommy’s dismay wasn’t all that well hidden.

“Well then maybe he’d stop whining like a little bitch,” Sounded the equally half jovial half chastising voice of George, along with the telltale a door being slammed shut as something rocketed into it, the sheer force behind such impact causing the floor to tremble beneath Tommy’s hands as the boy attempted to shuffle into a sitting position, only just managing to swallow his criticisms down as the telltale clicking of boats alerted Tommy of someone’s approach. “Besides, it was either that or the phantoms, he can survive.” 

“True, true,” That’s when a pair of boots made its way into Tommy’s line of sight; they looked well worn and dark, yet surprisingly well polished, as of the blond store into them hard enough, he could almost make out his own eyes staring back down at him. “And judging by how beat up he looks, I doubt he could last that.” 

And that’s when the owner of said boots crouched down, a singular gloved hand being extended before Tommy, unwavering despite the way the boy scowled in return, flushed at how easily the two talked down on him, despite their full awareness towards how well he could hear.

“I can get up myself you know, I’m not a fucking child.” The laugh he received in return only proved to further sour his mood as the man before him crouched down further still, hand falling lax for a moment before clenching itself around Tommy’s shoulder, uncaring to the dampness found there as the boy’s eyes subconsciously followed down the other’s side as the other spoke, taking in the clothing that adorned his skin.

“It doesn’t look like that from where I’m standing.” Blue eyes examined the emerald cloak that shrouded the voice’s figure, intricate detailing marking the fabric found there with complex shapes that Tommy took no time to try and work the meaning of. Far too overbearing for him to care for. 

Strapped above and beneath said cloak however were two thick straps, attached to which lay various satchels and weapons, each one differentiating in shape and size, as though they each had their own special little purpose — that Tommy didn’t doubt, Dream did seem like the type to carry a weapon on him whether he went, just in case something came up and he might have needed it. Pussy.

Tommy didn’t linger on such a thought for long, only basking on his inner workings for a moment until finally, his pupils flicked towards Dream’s face. He hadn’t ever seen his actual face, and as far as Tommy ever bothered to ask, neither had anyone else. 

The man took great care covering up his identity it seemed, even as his image only grew further and further, extending to even the smallest of villages the man had traveled; tales of Dream’s accomplishments had spread far and wide, so it was to great curiosity that even Tommy question what lay behind that mask he so lovingly wore. For surely he wouldn’t wear such a thing, not in his own land, right? 

For a moment, Tommy squinted, the lights reflected from behind the man’s face far too overbearing in comparison to the night Tommy had been acquainted with only minuted prior- yet when he wiped away tears building in his eyes, blinking away the blur clouding Dreams figure he.. He only locked eyes with that stupid smiling mask of his.

“Well you look like a dickhead from where I’m standing.”

**Author's Note:**

> If any of the creators are not comfortable with this fanfiction and ask of me to remove it, I will gladly do so, this story was intended as a passion project as mine and not something to entail harm.


End file.
